The Latest: Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”

The Latest: Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”

Sleigh Bells are back– are you listening? With a brand new, sophomore album single that’s as good as the abrasively catchy “Comeback Kid,” you should be. The Brooklyn duo’s 2010 debut LP, Treats, instantly crowned them with the title of major buzz band; it’s a tough act to follow for the soon-to-be released Reign of Terror. If “Comeback Kid” is any indication, though, Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss are sticking to what they do best: hardcore, floor-shaking beats, riffs that pulse like machine guns, and an energetic, badass attitude all juxtaposed with the high, delicate innocence of Krauss’ singing voice. Fighting off any notions of a slump, “Comeback Kid” plows through with guns positively blazing. Don’t call it a comeback– Sleigh Bells are here to stay.

Review: Gonjasufi – MU.ZZ.LE

Review: Gonjasufi – MU.ZZ.LE

Gonjasufi has a new album out, and, surprising nobody, it is without a doubt the spaciest album to be released so far this year.  A yoga teacher hailing from Las Vegas, the ‘sufi’s name is apt: his music is equal parts come-hither mystic and hazy, blissed-out beats. The fringiest part of the already-pretty-far-out Los Angeles “beat music” scene, Gonjasufi (real name: Sumach Valentine) turned heads after his transfixing falsetto appeared on the Flying Lotus track “Testament.” MU.ZZ.LE ventures into a lot of the same dream-trance territory, Valentine’s voice wafting over the hyper-compressed abstract fuzz of looped ‘70s jazz records.

But MU.ZZ.LE isn’t a completely abstract album the way that, say, FlyLo’s Los Angeles or even J Dilla’s Donuts were. Where those albums were really and truly beat music – where repetition, groovy, and subtlety reign – MU.ZZ.LE is an album, of, well, songs, of addition and subtraction and resolution. This difference is evident on charts like the mellow, effervescent “The Blame,” or the album’s crystalline-funk single “Nikels and Dimes,” where ‘sufi’s yogic sense of balance is most clear. My favorite track, however, is the eerie, dragging “Venom,” on which dub percussion and a shady, monophonic synth stutter against Valentine’s slow wail. He’s the Jimi Hendrix to Dilla’s Miles Davis (or FlyLo’s Herbie Hancock).

Gonjasufi - Nikels and Dimes (Music Video)

Gonjasufi - The Blame (taken from new mini-album MU.ZZ.LE)

The Latest: Goldroom – “Angeles”

The Latest: Goldroom – “Angeles”

It’s the middle of winter, but with all the warm weather in New York, it’s starting to feel like summer’s just around the corner. For those of you who can’t wait for the real thing, I present to you “Angeles” from Goldroom. This song is like a good bowl of chili. The synths will warm you up, and the comfortable bass groove will keep you full. It’s relaxed without being lethargic, and has just enough pop to make you smile.  The vocals have distinct reverb effets applied to them, while keeping its sense of melodic clarity.  In short, this track will make you feel good.

Goldroom - "Angeles"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCa86s-z9Hc